Hi my son is 14. He was seen at the emergency dep. 3 wks ago and was admitted. He was put on Geodon 40mg twice daily. He was discharged after 5 days because he told them the voices and visions stopped but they never really stopped he just wanted to come home. He is still having auditory and visual hallucinations. They are getting worse and more frequent. He doesn't want to go to emergency dep. because of fear of being admitted. I called the dr. on Thurs. and they said it would be 3 bussiness days before I have a repy. I realize tomorrow will be day 3 but I don't know what to do for him.

They should not make you wait that long. Its an emergency. As for what they can do the Geodon may not be working. There are a variety of options for antipsychotics. Geodon has a fair amount of side effects. Perhaps you could ask about Abilify. As for whether he schizophrenia or bipolar only a psychiatrist can make a diagnosis. But much more common than schizophrenia is schizoaffective which is schizophrenia with a mood disorder. That requires an antipsychotic and a mood stabilizer (for more information google "Depression Central", for all mood disorders). Even myself having made a full recovery from schizoaffective disorder with an antipsychotic in Phase II FDA study (read through my posts) require a mood stabilizer as well. I'd say what you can do for your son is ask for the medication to be adjusted and/or changed and to have a full diagnosis. And if the psychiatrist is not responsive you might want to get a second opinion. I've been to many psychiatrists and they always return the call the next day and as long as you respect their privacy if its an emergency they have a pager. I assume by doctor you mean psychiatrist because its out of the hands of a general praciticioner. A child psychiatrist that is a specialist is best.

They should not make you wait that long. Its an emergency. As for what they can do the Geodon may not be working. There are a variety of options for antipsychotics. Geodon has a fair amount of side effects. Perhaps you could ask about Abilify. As for whether he schizophrenia or bipolar only a psychiatrist can make a diagnosis. But much more common than schizophrenia is schizoaffective which is schizophrenia with a mood disorder. That requires an antipsychotic and a mood stabilizer (for more information google "Depression Central", for all mood disorders). Even myself having made a full recovery from schizoaffective disorder with an antipsychotic in Phase II FDA study (read through my posts) require a mood stabilizer as well. I'd say what you can do for your son is ask for the medication to be adjusted and/or changed and to have a full diagnosis. And if the psychiatrist is not responsive you might want to get a second opinion. I've been to many psychiatrists and they always return the call the next day and as long as you respect their privacy if its an emergency they have a pager. I assume by doctor you mean psychiatrist because its out of the hands of a general praciticioner. A child psychiatrist that is a specialist is best.

No medication would be working right away, you need to give the new med a chance.
Every medication will have some side effects along with their good effect.
Also remember, GEODON works effectively only when given WITH FOOD. Titration of
the dosage can be done to find out its effectivity.
Abilify is a good med, our daughter improved a lot and perfectly stable with it BUT its
not a guarantee that all meds will be equally effective on an individual. It is a trial
and error. Regarding side effects, ABILIFY can cause occulogyric crisis and GEODON can cause cardiac problem like arrythmia, so NO medication is side effect free but
when benefit outweighs the risk........
Do not give up on a med unless the side effects are unbearable because, given TIME
and patience it will build up it's action and you may find it is working. Remember
GEODON must be taken with FOOD or it won't be working to it's full potential.

No medication would be working right away, you need to give the new med a chance.
Every medication will have some side effects along with their good effect.
Also remember, GEODON works effectively only when given WITH FOOD. Titration of
the dosage can be done to find out its effectivity.
Abilify is a good med, our daughter improved a lot and perfectly stable with it BUT its
not a guarantee that all meds will be equally effective on an individual. It is a trial
and error. Regarding side effects, ABILIFY can cause occulogyric crisis and GEODON can cause cardiac problem like arrythmia, so NO medication is side effect free but
when benefit outweighs the risk........
Do not give up on a med unless the side effects are unbearable because, given TIME
and patience it will build up it's action and you may find it is working. Remember
GEODON must be taken with FOOD or it won't be working to it's full potential.

Geodon is the only antipsychotic that can cause heart arrythmia. As for an oculugyric crisis that is something extreme when dystonia which is a temporary movement disorder is not treated. That can happen from an any antipsychotic and is not of concern but must be treated with a side effect pill.

Geodon is the only antipsychotic that can cause heart arrythmia. As for an oculugyric crisis that is something extreme when dystonia which is a temporary movement disorder is not treated. That can happen from an any antipsychotic and is not of concern but must be treated with a side effect pill.

Hi my son is 14. He was seen at the emergency dep. 3 wks ago and was admitted. He was put on Geodon 40mg twice daily. He was discharged after 5 days because he told them the voices and visions stopped but they never really stopped he just wanted to come home. He is still having auditory and visual hallucinations. They are getting worse and more frequent. He doesn't want to go to emergency dep. because of fear of being admitted. I called the dr. on Thurs. and they said it would be 3 bussiness days before I have a repy. I realize tomorrow will be day 3 but I don't know what to do for him.

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